


Of Black Coffee Addiction and Confessions

by icecreamsuki



Category: Arashi (Band)
Genre: Fluff and Crack, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-19
Updated: 2013-08-19
Packaged: 2017-12-24 01:12:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/933362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icecreamsuki/pseuds/icecreamsuki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nino discovered the wonders of black coffee. And Jun didn't seem to agree. And Ohno, well, Ohno continued to be on the receiving end of things.<br/>Written in Nino's POV</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Black Coffee Addiction and Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> This was based on a Hana Arashi clip where Ohno complained that Nino was drinking too much black coffee. Ancient, yes. Circa 2012

-=-=-  
  
  
Dear Reader,

Do you like coffee? Yes? No? Don’t care? Was that a shrug you did?

Me?

I never gave it much thought before. I only drink it to pump caffeine into my system to keep me awake to do my job. And coffee places such as Starbucks? Too fancy and overpriced for my own taste. I prefer those free coffees that the staff serves during meetings. Or those from vending machines where I ask one of the members to treat me. It feels more personal that way, don’t you think?

Lately, I have come into the conclusion that coffee must be respected and regarded as it is: coffee. It doesn’t need to be tainted with trivialities namely sugar, milk and  _milk cream_. It’s an insult to what it genuinely is. It’s coffee!

It all started one morning, when the only souls in the greenroom were Jun and I. It was around 6 A.M. and I was mildly impressed that Jun came early despite hating morning schedules. I had a shrewd idea that his manager stayed over in his house just to be able to easily drag him in the morning.

He looked really grumpy. And I had the sudden urge to test the limits of that grumpiness.

“Ne, J! Make us some coffee!” I said as I prodded him with my foot. Have I mentioned about our positions? I came in first so I monopolized the couch. Since my body is small, there was still empty space of couch beside my feet where Jun sat, neck bent, and head bowed, apparently dozing off. He had chosen a rather uncomfortable position to sleep but that guy can sleep anywhere when he’s really sleepy.

“Go make it yourself, brat!” he said in aggravation. I was surprised that his brain even got to process what I said.

“Let’s play janken, then!” I said, confident that I would win against a sleepy, grouchy Jun. If all else fails, I can cheat and his sleepy eyes won’t even notice.

“Saisho wa guu, janken-pon!”

I waited for him to draw his choice: a rock. And at a split second I extended my fingers, indicating paper. I won!

“I won, J! Go make us coffee!” I said. He slowly and reluctantly stood up to do his punishment game. That’s what I like about Jun; he accepts his punishment without question. He’s a righteous guy.

“Here,” he said, handing me a cup. He didn’t make one for himself, probably because he still wanted to catch up on some precious sleep.

I sipped a little at first, to keep my tongue from being scalded.

It tasted different, unlike the usual flavored ones: mocha, cappuccino, vanilla, caramel. I have been used to coffee being trifled with those flavors. But this – this was different. Its bitterness was just right. It’s perfect. I drank it, savoring its unique taste.

 “You like it?” Jun asked in disbelief. His eyes already seemed fully awake watching me in disgust. I bet someone who has fascination for mascara, nail polish and eccentric, over-the-top fashion was not capable of appreciating the fine taste of pure black coffee.

Leader entered and looked at the two of us curiously. After the usual morning greetings, he sat on the couch between the two of us and laid his head on my shoulder in preparation to sleep again.

After a few minutes, I was fidgeting in my seat. I couldn’t help it! I wanted another dose of that addictive black coffee! Waking Jun up was out of the question since he appeared to be peacefully sleeping. Besides, I have already bothered him once. I am not that much of a merciless brat to wake up my friend who desperately needed rest. Ohno groaned and lifted his head off me. He must have sensed that I wanted to stand up.

And stand up I did to prepare some black coffee for myself.

When I sat back down, Ohno sniffed. He must have smelled the delicate aroma of black coffee wafting through the air and impressing his olfactory nerves.

He looked at me questioningly and without him even asking, “Black coffee,” I said, taking pride in my new discovery. I offered Ohno some but he declined. Besides, I knew he would just say that it’s delicious without even tasting it properly. I didn’t trust Leader’s taste buds to accurately judge a food or a drink. Even expired food is delicious to him. Even oil mixed with water is delicious to him! Go figure!

-=-=-

During the filming of Hana Arashi, there was a corner where one member can complain of something he wanted another member to change or to stop doing, I was taken aback when my name was called.

“You drink too much black coffee!” Leader said reproachfully, as reproachful as a leader can get.

Unsure what to do, “Heeeee!” I said, placing my hands near the side of my face, acting shocked. In fact I was really surprised that it bothered him that much. He never said anything while I was drinking those cups. Looking back, I regretted not paying more attention to his expression.

On the way home, I stopped by the usual convenience store with the usual disguise. I frequented that store enough for the employees to know me despite my disguise, or should I say they know me because of my disguise? Either way, the point is they know me but they never make such a fuss of me being there.

I was even friends with one of the employees, a guy who wore his scrunched up eyebrows like normal everyday makeup. His name is Take Seiji. He’s around my age and I can’t deny the intense I-don’t-like-my-job aura emanating from him. I like him because he always seemed miserable, and I was happy that despite my physically and emotionally taxing job, there’s still someone more miserable than me.

“Black coffee,” Seiji said pursing his lips in deep thought. “I don’t get why people add sugar or milk or creamer in their coffee,” he continued with his usual unfriendly tone as he was pressing the buttons on the cash register.

Yes! That was exactly what I was thinking! I am in the same wavelength with that guy; I should invite him for a drink some time. But I didn’t say that to him. He seemed to be talking more to himself than to me anyway. After a curt ‘thank you’, I went straight home.

After arriving home, I immediately heated water and brought out the content of my grocery bag afterwards.

I flipped through the channels in the television with a remote control on one hand and my cup of coffee in the other. It was a satisfying past-time, watching television, because I have my hands free from time to time when I stop fiddling with the remote. It gave me time to enjoy my moments with my cup of hot black coffee. In fact I didn’t care that much about the show on the television at all. What mattered were me and my coffee.

Come to think of it, playing my DS or playing the guitar needed two hands, hindering me from enjoying my coffee. I appreciated having a TV at home despite the expense taking up a part of my savings.

-=-

It was already around midnight when the phone rang.

What emergency could it be for someone to call me at an ungodly hour? I wondered.

I picked up the phone. Again, I was glad that it was a task that only needed one hand, letting my other hand grip my coffee cup.

“Nino?” at the sound of that voice, my heart started pounding hard and fast. I could almost hear every beat.

_Doki doki. doki doki._

It was Leader.

“What is it?” I asked. I had to release my grip from the coffee cup, but not without reluctance. I clutched my chest to try to stabilize my wild heart beat.

“I was just worried whether you are sleeping well,” he said, giving away his anxiety. It must have really bothered him that I was drinking too much coffee earlier that day.

“Well, how can I sleep well if you keep talking to me like this?” I said brattily as I took deep breaths, careful not to make a loud breathing noise. It would just worry Oh-chan more.

“Ok, just try to sleep right away, ok? No more games,” he said sternly, though I bet he was sure I would not follow his orders.

“Ok, good night, Leader!” I said more composedly than I felt.

“Good night!”

-=-=-

“My heart was beating really strongly when I was talking to Leader!” I announced the following morning. It was only Sho, Jun and Aiba in the room. The topic of conversation had not yet arrived.

“It was the coffee giving you palpitations, Nino,” Sho offered. “Satoshi-kun was right; you drank too much coffee yesterday.”

“No! But my heart pounded strongly when I  _started_  talking to Leader!” I insisted. It did! Recalling the events of the night before, I was trying to pinpoint the exact moment when those palpitations, or whatever the genius Sho liked to call them, started and it was when I picked up the call from Oh-chan.

“Maybe you’re falling in love with Leader!” Aiba said excitedly. His energy was in maximum after eating his fried chicken bento for breakfast. He was still chewing the last bite while he said it and I was sure that there were tiny bits of food that sprayed out of his mouth while he said that. I was glad I was nowhere near him.

He earned a smack in the head from Jun. “Ninomiya-sensei, you were in charge of the “doki-doki” lesson in our Waku Waku Gakkou and you don’t even know about caffeine? The effect of the coffee may just be delayed, or you were drinking too much that you already reached your threshold,” J said, as expected of him to be boring and too cynical with the matter.

And then Leader entered the greenroom, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes after sleeping in the van that picked him up, only to sleep again in the greenroom.

“Leader! I think I’m falling in love with you!” I whined as I fetched him at the door, resting my arm on his shoulders after a cursory grope on his butt.

“Oh…” he said drowsily with his feet blindly leading his body to the couch as if his brain was telling him to find a place where he can shut down and sleep.

“I couldn’t sleep after I talked to you!” I asserted, not wanting Ohno to fall asleep before the matter was settled. I was certain that there was a deeper explanation of the events of the night before other than ‘drinking too much coffee’. There has to be!

I intentionally ignored Jun’s “it’s insomnia because of too much caffeine, idiot.”

“Of course you are falling in love with me! What a shame that you need to drink a ton of black coffee just to realize that,” Ohno said. Eh? What did that mean? He looked fully awake when he said it; I could hardly count it as sleep-talking.

“Then why did you scold me that I drink too much coffee when it can make me realize of my feelings for you?” I asked, looking at Ohno carefully.

“Black coffee is not good! You will have a hard time falling asleep. And we have an early schedule today. And it would be bad if you have little rest!” He said with a tone of fake anger, the same he sometimes use on television to be comical.

“And it’s Jun who came up with the idea of black coffee. I should have thought about that sooner.” He said softly more to himself than to anyway in the room, but I caught it anyway being so physically close to him at the moment.

“Awww, I love you, Leader!” I said, giving him a huge, tight bear hug. I couldn’t control myself anymore.

“Too sappy!” Jun whined. “They should include this in the labels of black coffee. Warning: too much black coffee can melt your brains and lead to sappiness. Drink moderately.” Jun said in irritation. That not-morning-person has never been fond of too much noise and movement in the morning, not even in the greenroom. Or maybe he was just jealous.

“You’re just jealous, Jun-pon!” I said just to tease Jun, although I should remember to thank him for introducing me to the wonderful world of black coffee, and all the wonders it can bring.

  
-=-=-


End file.
